Do unto others, unless . . .

I've been told that the "No on 8" folks are mean and attacking the Yes folks and "wanting tolerance, but not showing any." Interesting. I've also learned that the [Republican] strategy includes two main components: 1) repeat a lie over and over and over until people believe it's the truth; 2) identify all the characteristics and dirty tricks in your own campaign, and accuse the other side of doing just that.
I think the Yes folks get tired of hearing from people that they are bigoted or hateful or discriminating, because most of them are doing and believing what their churches tell them to do and believe, and how could the church be wrong? What the Yes folks don't understand is that it feels very hateful to be on this side of a denial of rights. It feels worse than getting picked last for dodge ball. It feels like every other person has been picked for the team, even the ones who are going to purposefully throw the game, and being told, 'you can't play.' It's hateful and arbitrary. I might not be the best dodge ball player in the world, but I'd rather not just watch.

But we're not supposed to talk about that, because people who support Prop 8 have all kinds of reasons for supporting it that make sense to them and they don't think that they're hateful.

• Children/procreation

• Education

• Denial of religious freedoms

• Law suits

• Denigration of society

• And many more.

Looking at these one by one, it's obvious that they are a way to justify discrimination, and don't hold a lot of weight. I'm a little frustrated with the "Christians" who are espousing these views. My favorite though is that "children will be taught homosexuality in schools." I don't know what this means, but the possibilities are sort of interesting. If all they mean is that kids will learn that there's such a thing as marriage and that two people who love each other a lot get married, it seems the kids aren't going to spontaneously combust from that. People gasp and say, 'our children are going to be taught that homosexuality is normal!' I sort of laughed when I heard that at first -- but then I realized it wasn't a joke. First, homosexuality is pretty normal -- it's just that not everyone gets to be gay. And second, it seems to be that if you actually teach kids that, we'd all be better off. Isn't that kind of the point of equality?
Although, I'd like to think that what they mean when they say kids will be learning homosexuality in schools, they're going to take the boys to decorating school and the girls to Home Depot.

I admit that there are a lot of things about our society that don't seem to be going well. I just don't think the gays can shoulder it all. I don't think homosexuality can be blamed for natural disasters any more than for the "unraveling of the moral fabric of society." It's a lot to carry. Even though you see those gay boys in the gym for hours at a time and then going off to strut their buffness, they're not that strong.

Maybe if we stop focusing on homosexuality and fighting about whether it's a choice or biology, moral or not, bad for our kids or just a part of life, etc, we could take a look at what's really going on. Maybe.